Douglas Carswell: Nigel Farage’s tactics cost Ukip up to 11 Commons seats

Mr Farage rejected Mr Banks’s claims the pair were naked in what seemed an “amazingly good idea” at the time.

He pledged his support for the party’s next leader in an apparent attempt to scotch rumors that he might leave UKIP to join a new populist political movement, which close ally Banks has pledged to launch in the coming months.

In a closing address to the party conference in Bournemouth, she also repeated her statement that UKIP was now the “opposition in waiting”. I have been biting my tongue.

In particular, he said the “shock and awful” tactics, such as using the example of HIV positive patients to make a point about the impact of immigration on the health service, had damaged the party.

“Underneath, the engine, I’m afraid, has been breaking down. He hasn’t supported my leadership at all and he completely disagrees with what has been our main electoral policy, namely, that. we should have proper border controls”.

Diane James and Douglas Carswell shook hands and smiled for the cameras as they posed for pictures ahead of his speech to activists.

Ms James hit the airwaves herself today in a bid to establish herself with the public as Ukip leader despite the on-going rows and the frequent continued appearances of Mr Farage.

Mr Hamilton, who only found out about the so-called purge after being told by reporters, said it was a “rather freaky way” to unite a party.

But the infighting quickly looked set to be reignited when Mr Carswell had his speech cut to five minutes and Mr Hamilton was removed from the schedule altogether.

“He is a very strong leader”, James continued.

“I am going to go on as an MEP”.

Mr Carswell said UKIP members had “made a clear choice” in electing Ms James on Friday. “He is very nationalist”, she said.

Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed appreciation of Putin during the U.S. election campaign, calling him a better leader than Obama and citing his 82% approval rating as a sign of his success.

She said: “We are the only party 100 per cent committed to Brexit”.

He is one of a number of high-profile figures in Ukip who have been frozen out by the Farage wing of the party.